South of Boston, Charles River Studios is adjacent to High Output’s rental warehouse, providing access to equipment and expendables. All of the studios include a suite of production and client offices and make up, wardrobe and green rooms at no extra cost; Studios A (pictured) and B include private baths. There is a studio dining room for clients and a food-styling kitchen within the studio complex.

Located on nearly 50 acres south of the Loop, Cinespace Chicago Film Studios will include 1.2 million sq.ft. of space when fully built. The complex (pictured) is the brainchild of a family-owned Toronto company whose studios in that city have hosted more than 1,000 films. “We have a solid 25-year track record of building excellent facilities for our Hollywood clients and look forward to finally bringing these facilities to Chicago,” says Cinespace owner Nick Mirkoupoulos.

Projects:
Clients include Sony Entertainment, MTV Latin America, Ricky Martin Entertainment; NBC Telemundo; music videos and concerts; Nightly Business Report, believed to be TV’s longest-running business program, produced live from Studio B

A one-stop shop for film and video projects of all sizes, 34-year old Comtel Studios is a subsidiary of Miami PBS station, WPBT. In addition to a pair of studios, Comtel offers “editorial and graphics for virtual sets plus office space rentals in a separate building,” notes Bernard Cottle. “We also have domestic uplink and downlink capabilities, international fibre optic connections and can handle webcasts.”

Ninety minutes north of Boston, Granite Media Center is private and traffic-free yet in proximity to hospitality amenities, services and suppliers. “Our goal is to make this feel like your production facility when you’re here,” emphasizes Bob Callahan. “We will help access crew and provide logistics support for securing shooting sites, accommodations, catering and other services or supplies. Repeatedly, we hear from both cast and crew how they enjoyed working in such a creative, peaceful and unique setting.”

Since its launch in 2006, the independently-owned I-25 Studios has been continuously occupied and fully operational; 15 productions have called it home. Able to support multiple simultaneous productions, I-25 opened Stage E last November. “We have an incredible opportunity to bring more productions to New Mexico with these improvements,” says Rick Clemente. I-25 offers a wide range of production services inhouse and through relationships with companies on the lot and outside vendors.

Projects:
Current TV’s Bar Karma series on Stage A (pictured); network projects and commercials booked through the fall

Although Ironbound Film and Television Studios officially opens in September, the renovated turn-of-the-century warehouse within minutes of Newark International Airport and an easy commute to Manhattan has already hosted a cable series and has more projects scheduled. “The whole facility is designed to be a shooting space,” notes Norman Schoenfeld, including 6,500 sq. ft. of stay-and-shoot loft-style accommodations for housing or sets. “We can customize the space with cycs and greenscreens, and also provide production services and equipment rentals.”

Features:
$5-million lighting and grip department; 35,000 sq. ft. of offices on main lot; AC; greenscreen cycs; set dressing, props; 200-car parking on main lotBacklot:
Practical locations available for shooting at various Occidental studio lots

Projects:
FX’s Sons of Anarchy and Paramount’s My Mother’s Curse currently in production on Occidental lots

Occidental’s new Stage 1 (artist’s conception pictured) joins three others and 6,000 sq. ft. of offices in the new four-story production center on the main lot. The historic lot was built in 1913 and is arguably the oldest continuously operating studio in Hollywood; the original stage was home to Mary Pickford, D.W. Griffith and Cecil B. DeMille. “We want to keep business in LA, and our clients were asking for more stage space on our main lot so we made the decision to build the new soundstage and offices,” says Ricky Stoutland. “When you shoot here now you get the best of both worlds – old Hollywood and new Hollywood.”

Features:
Newly-renovated support facilities include production offices, conference room, make up, wardrobe, canteen; covered bays with truck-height docks for both stages at main location and loading roll-up door at turnkey space; AC; food-styling kitchen; gated parking lot for productions

Projects:
Major features, Turner television promos, national commercials, still shoots, corporate programming

Deeply rooted in the community for almost 30 years, PC&E’s stage facilities (pictured) are located in midtown Atlanta about 25 minutes from the airport. “We’re known for our excellent customer service and providing just about everything that clients, especially our commercial clients, are looking for,” says stage manager Guilherme “Bill” Villarinho. Camera, lighting and grip equipment and expendables departments at the main location provide easy access to reliable gear; production offices and set-building services are available in the neighborhood.

As a grip, lighting and camera rental house, Picture This Production Services offers full equipment packages, crewing and production services to stage customers with convenient single billing. “We can handle as much or as little of a production as the client wants,” notes Ben Olberg. “We have a wide range of lights, tungsten fixtures, Kino Flos, HMIs plus a 3-ton grip truck.” Customers favor the economical 25×40-ft. roll-out greenscreen, which saves on paint and labor costs.

Features:
Production offices, hair/make up and wardrobe; lighting and grip equipment; HD and 35mm cameras; production trucks and generators; AC to film studio standards; parking; variety of aircraft, vehicles, and go-fast boats with gyro-stabilized cameras

Backlot:
Located in Lakewood Ranch whose Main Street serves as Sanborn Studios’ own backlot with Rodeo Drive-type shops and dining; also country roads, lakes, farms, industrial locations and sand mines

Projects:
Feature film Miami 24/7

“Sanborn Studios is a full-service production facility with two facilities in Sarasota and Manatee Counties,” says CEO Ken Sanborn. “The primary complex is our 30,000-square-foot studio in Lakewood Ranch. It includes soundstages, postproduction facilities and offices that will provide a great venue to produce quality TV and movies in a beautiful setting. It is the only studio in Florida that offers a full grip and lighting department, an extensive camera department, postproduction facilities and crews under one roof.”

Backlot:
Situated on 200 acres along the banks of the Colorado River with rolling hills, open pastures, river frontage, dense forest areas and more

Projects:
Feature films, television, animation, music recording, national and international commercials, still shoots, corporate programming

A full-service motion picture, music, animation studio and production company, Spiderwood Studios (pictured) was founded in 2009 by producer Tommy G. Warren. It has become a major part of the motion-picture industry thanks to its extensive facilities and 200-acre backlot. Spiderwood Studios is a two-hour non-stop flight from LA and New York and is located 15 minutes from Austin Bergstrom International Airport and luxury hotels.

Features:
Stages accommodate any lighting power requirements; silent AC; areas adjacent to soundstages covered by canopy; production center includes production offices, warehouse space, 60+ production vendors and services from catering to full equipment rentals

Universal Studios Florida Production Group is “constantly upping standards and improvements so that our stages equal and surpass any facility in the world,” says Pamela Tuscany. “Add in our hundred-plus backlot locations, world-class resorts and the State of Florida’s tax incentive and we are an unsurpassed production package.”